MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will take over from the 77-year-old who said he would run for another six-year term on September 23, the Strait Times newspaper said. The president has a largely ceremonial role but can veto key policies.
The farewell ceremony will take place tonight at the president’s Istana residence in the small city-state off southern Malaysia. His staff will reportedly say their goodbyes in the afternoon.
Tony Tan represents the Malay ethnic group which has 520,000 members in Singapore. The country’s population is made up of 2.9 million ethnic Chinese and 357,000 Indians.
